Safety-envelop.



A. B. KNOWLTON.

SAFETY ENVELOP. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1908.

Patented Jan. 26, 1909.

AUGUSTUS ,B. KNOWLTON, OF COLUMBIA,- SOUTH CAROLINA.

SAFETY-ENVELOIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2c, 1909.

Application. filed June 2a, 1908. serial no. 439,987.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS B. KNOWL- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbia, in the county of Richland-and State of'South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety- Envelops, of which the following is a specifi cation.

This invention relates to the manufacture of envelops and other receptacles, and more particularly to that type of envelop or receptacle which has its sealing portions so shielded that having once been scaled it can not be opened without destroying the envelop and thus give evidence of its having been opened; such envelops being especially useful in the transportation of money, valuable papers,

-etc., by mail or express.

The object of the invention is to produce an envelop of the above type which can be cheaply manufactured and which, when com pleted, is practically as simple, light and neat in appearance as the ordinary envelop.

The invention will best be understood by the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank from whic my envelop is constructed; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same showing the left hand flap folded upon itself upon the main.

section; Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same showing the right hand flap folded over on the other flap and threaded on a guide tongue carried thereby; Fig. ft is a view of the completed envelop and Fig. 5' is a cross-section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawin s, 1 is the main section forming the face of the envelop and having a flap on each side, as shown. The flap 2 consists of an upper and a lower art, the lower part 6 having a tongue 7 wiich, when the lower part is folded upon the upper part, passes through a slot 8 in the upper part formed by stamping out the guide tongue 9 hereinafter mentioned.

The flaps 3 and 4 each have a slot 8 which, when folded upon the main section, as presently explained, register with each other and are threaded upon the aforementioned guide tongue 9 which projects outward from the exposed face of flap 2 when it is folded on the main section, as shown in Fig. 2. The top flap 5 has a tongue formed on it which carries the mueilage or other sealing substance.

The operation of forming the envelop from the blank is as follows: The lower part of flap 2 is folded upon the upper part along line 10, and the projection 7 slip ed through slot 8, thus forming a pocket osflap 2. The flap is then folded in on the main section 1 with guide tongue 9 and projection 7 extending out from the face of the flap, as shown in Fig. 2. Flap 3, and then flap 4 are each in turn folded in on the main section, the guide tongue 9 threading through each as they are folded over, and the envelop is then ready for use.

To seal the envelop the tongue 5 is moistened and passed through the slots 8 formed in the several flaps, being guided by the upwardly extending guide tongue 9 into the pocket formed in flap 2, when it is sealed to the wall 6. It will be seen from this that the envelop is rovided with a pocket into which the sea 'ng tongue passes, so that there is no danger of the tongue sticking to the letter, and that the guide ton e for guiding the sealing tongue into the poo et is also utilized for securing the flaps together. An envelop thus constructed can not be opened by the ordinary steaming process, there being two thicknesses of envelop, and the letter on one side of the mucilage, and four thicknesses of the envelop on the other side.

If desired, a little glue may be ut on the inner end of flap 3 to assist in ho ding it to flap 4, but this is not necessary.

It will be noted that the projection 7 which extends up through slot 8 serves no special purpose after it passes through the slot 8 other than preventing the sealing tongue from catching on the upper edge of part 6 which it otherwise mi ht do if projection 7 did not pass through t re slot.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is,

1. An envelop blank having 'a flap composed of an upper part formed with a slot and a lower part provided with a tongue, the lower part arranged to be folded upon the upper part to form a pocket therebetween with said tongue pro ecting through said slot, a guide tongue formed on the upper part of said flap adjacent said slot, a top fiap having a sealing tongue to enter said pocket through said slot between said tongues, and cooperating flaps to complete the envelop. 4

2. An envelop having a top flap with a sealing tongue, side and bottom flaps, a threaded over said guide tongue so that the 1G pocket formed in one of said flaps by fold latter projects therethrough to guide the mg the lower extremity of the flap upon thesealing tongue into the pocket.

upper part and passing said lower extremity In testimony whereof I have afiixed my throug an opening in said upper part of signature in presence-of two Witnesses. the flap, a guide tongue stamped up from AUGUSTUS B. KNOWLTON. said upper part to form the opening, and Witnesses:

slots in the remainingflaps adapted when THOMAS DURANT,

folded to coincide with each othe'rand be SPENCER B. PRENTIss 

